History Main / AmbiguouslyJewish

** Miles Goodman, Sabrina's college housemate in Seasons 5-6. Aside from the Jewish surname "Goodman", he comes from a family of accountants, mentioned an [[JewishMother overprotective mother]] who threatens him if he doesn't call, and once brings back matzo balls after visiting home.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'' shows Peter B. Parker stepping on a glass at his wedding (this is a Jewish tradition) and his [[Creator/JakeJohnson voice actor]] is half-Jewish. Other than that, it's not brought up.

* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'' has an interesting example. Launchpad is shown wearing a menorah sweater during the Christmas episode, but it's not clear if he's actually Jewish or just bought a sweater for the wrong holiday because he's an idiot.

* It's hard not to suspect that Jake Gittes, the AntiHero portrayed by Creator/JackNicholson in ''Film/{{Chinatown}}'' and ''Film/TheTwoJakes'', is a closeted Jew, given hints here and there in both films. Not only is his nose famously targeted by a knife-wielding thug, but his last name sounds like it could be Ashkenazi (and on two occasions the BigBad in ''Chinatown'' [[MyNameIsNotDurwood mispronounces the surname as "Gitz"]], making it sound even more Ashkenazi) and his dark hair and eyes distinguish him from most of the Caucasian population of UsefulNotes/LosAngeles in the 1930s and '40s (which was famously of fair-haired Midwestern stock before more "ethnic" whites began arriving after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII). There's more: When Jake investigates the retirement home, he asks the owner if they "accept people of the Jewish persuasion" (they don't); while this question is part of his cover story of possibly sending his father (supposedly an [[RacistGrandma old racist]] who won't abide being put up in a home with non-Aryans) to live in the home, it's still strange that he would bring up the subject when he didn't absolutely have to. In ''The Two Jakes'', Jake (Gittes, that is) complains to Jake Berman (Creator/HarveyKeitel) that Lou Escobar, his old partner on the police force, has been denied a home loan in a neighborhood for which Berman is a realtor due to his Mexican descent. While this could simply be a case of sticking up for an old colleague, it's hard not to shake the suspicion that Gittes is thinking ''he'' wouldn't be welcome in that neighborhood either - which only becomes more likely when Berman, who is explicitly stated to be Jewish, says that [[BoomerangBigot he couldn't sell a home to]] ''[[BoomerangBigot himself]]'', [[BoomerangBigot or to anyone in his family, in that same neighborhood]].

* Max Goldman in ''Film/GrumpyOldMen''. He has a Jewish surname and peppers his speech with Yiddish words. Though he celebrates Christmas, which adds to the confusion.

** Jacob Kowalski is also coded as Jewish, although his surname is less markedly so, as a common Polish name. He is a Polish immigrant to New York in the early 20th century with the name Jacob, played by someone called Dan Fogler, who, again, lives in New York in the 20s.

* The English translation of the StatuesqueStunner themed manga ''Manga/DoYouLikeBigGirls'' turned PhenotypeStereotype Julia Mackenzie into one. As can be guessed from the name, the character was originally meant to represent a general stereotype of American girls, what with her blonde hair, titanic height and GagBoobs. Her weird manner of speech, however, could not be easily translated (FunetikAksent notwithstanding). [[CulturalTranslation Whereas in the original version of the manga Julia would stand out by using English phrases, the English translation has her use Yiddish]]. While this may seem to be a simple case of YiddishAsASecondLanguage, in one case she goes as far as to say "L'chaim!" when toasting - a distinctly Jewish custom which not even the most Yiddified New Yorker would use if they weren't a Jew.

* Franchise/{{Superman}}, prior to the Byrne reboot in 1986 (which got rid of some of these elements), is a classic example: his origin story is a modern take on Moses (his people faced terrible destruction, and his parents cast him adrift hoping to spare him; Kandor represents the people he came back to save and take to the promised land); his cultural heritage, which he took great pride in, was a distinctly non-Christian monotheism with an emphasis on intellectual achievement; and his Kryptonian name, "Kal-El," has an ending meaning "God," common in Jewish names such as Nathaniel and Israel. (In fact, in Hebrew, "Kal-El" could translate as either "All [that is under] God," as in, "One Nation, Under God," the American Way; or "The Voice of God," as in, Prophecy, Truth, and Justice.) Superman was created by two Jews, Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster, in the late 1930s, and given a name which is a rough translation of the German word "{{Ubermensch}}." The Nazis were fond of this concept, as well; a black-haired Ubermensch who fights for "truth, justice, and the American way" might well have been a TakeThat, or at least some catharsis, for the creators. In one [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] [[{{Elseworld}} what-if]] story, Supes even delivered a "distinctly non-Aryan sock to the jaw for you, [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler Adolf]]!" (Compare and contrast to ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, the [[{{irony}} blonde, blue-eyed]] Nazi's worst nightmare.)

* From Wiki/{{Killerbunnies}}, we have this with Cerise Blumenthal who is more or less implied to be. This is mostly by her last name and where she might come from (some state Bexley, others state Livingston, and some believe to be between Roslyn and Jericho).

* [=McCoy=] from ''Manga/{{Area 88}}'' has a large nose, olive-toned skin, and cares only about money, thereby fitting the stereotype. The only thing off about it is his name, which is Scottish.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* Artie Nielsen, born Arthur Weisfelt, of ''Series/{{Warehouse 13}}'' has numerous hints dropped through the first two seasons, but is placed firmly in this category by the [[ChristmasSpecial Christmas episode]] (where the credits paired his name with a dreidel) of Season 2 which reunites him with his father, played by Judd Hirsch. As a sort of retro lampshade to this sudden Judaism, his [[TeamDad de facto daughter]], Claudia, when invited to say grace at the (gentile) Christmas dinner table, intones "Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech...", although she is rapidly put right by the two older gentlemen.

* Lisa Silverman from ''VideoGame/{{Persona 2}}'' has a definitely Jewish sounding last name. Her parents are both American ex-pats who have pretty well assimilated into Japanese culture, to the point her dad is a clearly a NoCelebritiesWereHarmed version of Creator/StevenSeagal (who is ethnically Jewish) who wears a yukata around the house and practices aikido while her mother renamed herself Akiko and behaves like a YamatoNadeshiko, much to Lisa's embarrassment. It's more likely that American players would pick up on her implied Jewishness than players from the original Japanese market.

* The GenkiGirl WrenchWench, Gaige the Mechromancer, from ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}''. One of her lines when opening a chest is "It's like Hanukkah!"
* In ''[[Franchise/MassEffect Mass Effect 3]]'', at the memorial service for [[spoiler:Thane Krios]], Commander Shepard may, depending on what dialogue option the player chooses, [[https://youtu.be/on3J3HjjbK4?t=30s quote]] [[https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Talmud the Talmud]], but attributes the line as simply "an old human saying".

* A couple of the ''Film/CarryOn'' characters could've been Jewish. Some of the jokes in the dialogue are based on Cockney East End London [[note]]The East-End of London at the [[TheFifties time]] [[TheSixties of the]] [[TheSeventies films]] had large Jewish communities[[/note]] and used many Yiddish plays on words. Characters themselves sometimes showed a couple of Jewish stereotypes: in ''Film/CarryOnMatron'', Creator/KennethWilliams played worrying hypochondriac Sir Bernard Cutting and was even nicknamed "the Rabbi" by Dr. Prodd, whereas in ''Film/CarryOnCamping'', Creator/SidJames (Sid Boggle) and Creator/BernardBresslaw (Bernie Lugg) - who were both Jewish in real life - were dating Creator/JoanSims (Joan Fussey) and Creator/DilysLaye (Anthea Meeks) - the former having a [[JewishMother moaning mother]] (portrayed by the Jewish actress Amelia Bayntun) - and the two women constantly [[JewishComplaining moaned]] about their boyfriends' foolish antics throughout the movie, leading into loads of [[JewsLoveToArgue arguments]].

* A couple of the ''Film/CarryOn'' characters could've been Jewish. Some of the jokes in the dialogue are based on Cockney East End London [[note]]The East-End of London at the [[TheFifties time]] [[TheSixties of the]] [[TheSeventies films]] had large Jewish communities[[/note]] and used many Yiddish plays on words. Characters themselves sometimes showed a couple of Jewish stereotypes: in ''Film/CarryOnMatron'', Creator/KennethWilliams played worrying hypochondriac Sir Bernard Cutting and was even nicknamed "the Rabbi" by Dr. Prodd, whereas in ''Film/CarryOnCamping'' Creator/SidJames (Sid Boggle) and Creator/BernardBresslaw (Bernie Lugg) - who were both Jewish in real life - were dating Creator/JoanSims (Joan Fussey) and Creator/DilysLaye (Anthea Meeks) - the former having a [[JewishMother moaning mother]] (portrayed by the Jewish actress Amelia Bayntun) - and the two women constantly [[JewishComplaining moaned]] about their boyfriends' foolish antics throughout the movie, leading into loads of [[JewsLoveToArgue arguments]].

* A couple of the ''Film/{{Carry On|Series}}'' characters could've been Jewish. Some of the jokes in the dialogue are based on Cockney East End London [[note]]The East-End of London at the [[TheFifties time]] [[TheSixties of the]] [[TheSeventies films]] had large Jewish communities[[/note]] and used many Yiddish plays on words. Characters themselves sometimes showed a couple of Jewish stereotypes: in ''Film/CarryOnMatron'', Creator/KennethWilliams was a worrying hypochondriac and was even nicknamed "the rabbi" in a fit of rage from one of his employees, whereas in ''Film/CarryOnCamping'' Creator/SidJames and Creator/BernardBresslaw (who were both Jewish in real life) were dating Creator/JoanSims and Dilys Laye -- the latter having a [[JewishMother moaning mother]] (portrayed by a Jewish actress) -- and the two women constantly [[JewishComplaining moaned]] about their boyfriends' foolish antics throughout the movie, leading into loads of [[JewsLoveToArgue arguments]].

* ''Series/TheGoldbergs'' is wall-to-wall ambiguous Jewishness. Beverley Goldberg is the classic JewishMother. Adam is the poilt and pampered son. Erica can be a brattish daughter and a stereotypical JewishAmericanPrincess. Grandfather Pop-Pop is a kindly old mensch full of good advice and wisdom to all. But while the show describes the Goldberg family as observing major rituals such as Chanukah, and having its marriages "under the canopy", they most certainly do not keep kosher [[note]]a point that consternates fans outside the USA who may only see and interact with completely observant Jews - Judaism in the USA tends to be a lot more secular and consequently more relaxed about kashrut.[[/note]] Beverley, for instance, boasts of her shrimp in cheese sauce [[note]]Both traife (prawns, seafood) and not par'ev (mixing meat and dairy on the same plate[[/note]]. As if that wasn't enough, their local Chinese eateries honours regular customers by naming a ''pork'' dish after Murray Goldberg.

* Some have interpreted Black Michael of ''Literature/ThePrisonerOfZenda'' as being Jewish/having a Jewish mother. In the novel, Black Michael cannot legitimately take the throne because he's the product of a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morganatic_marriage Morganatic marriage]], but adaptations have presented him as a BastardBastard and placed more emphasis on a lack of royal ancestry on his mother's side, leading to the assumption that she must have been of a different religion than that of Ruritania's Catholic monarchy, and the further assumption that this meant she was Jewish. Besides all of the assumptions this requires, it seems unlikely, since if he was intended as Jewish, the book would [[OnceAcceptableTargets have called attention to it]], and Black Michael is supposed to be [[VillainWithGoodPublicity beloved]] by the religious, Slavic peasants of Ruritania, a somewhat unlikely feat if he was Jewish.

* ''Film/DoRevenge'': While alive, Louis regularly employed the services of a high-class prostitute named Lily [[TheBeard so he could be seen having a relationship with a woman]]. Once in her room, though, he just talked to her, using her as some kind of a therapy session. However, the two are alone with Lestat in his room Lily does give Louis fellatio until Lestat's [[ForcedSleep made her go asleep]].

* It was noted in a recent Guardian review of the original novel ''Literature/MissPettigrewLivesForADay'' that ironically, given the title character's racism and anti-Semitism ([[ValuesDissonance emblematic of the time period and which the author seems to endorse]]), her eventual romance is with a character named Joseph Blomfield.

* WesternAnimation/BugsBunny is almost certainly intended to be Jewish -- although most of the other evidence (the Noo Yawk accent, particularly) is circumstantial, it would be really quite unusual for a rabbit of any other ethnicity to grow up playing [[http://www.pagat.com/patience/pishe_pasha.html pisha-paysha.]] And also his [[Creator/MelBlanc voice actor]] was Jewish. Although one more recent special showed that he ''really'' likes Christmas.

** Some fans like to portray Levi as Jewish, both because of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribe_of_Levi the name]] and because of some of his physical features. The author said he got the name while watching a movie named ''Jesus Camp.''

* ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'': Here, Austria's human name is Roderich Edelstein. He is the only Germanic country in Hetalia with brown hair. He could be considered JewishAndNerdy, as he plays violin, piano, and more. He is also known to be out-of-shape, yet thin, spending all of his time indoors.

** Hades has a tendency to say "Oy Vey" when aggravated. On the other hand, he's a Greek god.
** Phil similarly uses YiddishAsASecondLanguage a few times, despite being a satyr.

* Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head from the ''Franchise/ToyStory'' series have to have gotten that Yiddish accent from somewhere. It also helps that the couple are voiced by Creator/DonRickles and Estelle Harris (who are both Jewish) respectively. However, Mr. Potato Head crosses himself in the first film. Mr. Potato Head belongs to ''Creator/{{Hasbro}}'', a company founded by a Jewish family.

* ''Film/DeadtimeStories'': In "Goldi Lox and Three Baers", [[PunnyName Goldi Lox]] says that her actual first name is 'Golda', as she was born during the [UsefulNotes/ArabIsraeliConflict Six-Day War]] and named after Golda Meir.

* Some characters from ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' likely qualify as well, especially some of the Immortals, most notably [[CreepyChild Czeslaw]] [[OlderThanTheyLook Meyer]] (who happens to share his name with a real life Jewish-Polish author).

* Miriam Mendelsohn from ''WesternAnimation/{{Turning Red}}'' could possibly be this, due to her curly hair and distantly Hebrew first name.

* Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head from the ''Franchise/ToyStory'' series have to have gotten that Yiddish accent from somewhere. It also helps that the couple are respectively voiced by Creator/DonRickles and Estelle Harris (who are both Jewish) respectively. However, Mr. Potato Head crosses himself in the first film. Mr. Potato Head belongs to ''Creator/{{Hasbro}}'', a company founded by a Jewish family.

* On ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold,'' [[DumbMuscle Harold]] came off this way before it was confirmed by a Bar Mitzvah episode. Also, [[BornUnlucky Eugene]] has the last name "Horowitz" and [[{{Geek}} Sheena]] can at least recognize Hebrew at a glance.

* ''ComicBook/XMen'' BigBad ComicBook/{{Magneto}} (real name Max Eisenhardt but known by an assumed name of Erik Lehnsherr) has occasionally had his ancestry cast in doubt like this. It's a well-established part of his backstory that he was in a Nazi concentration camp, but other groups were placed in those as well. Briefly, Marvel implied he was Romani or just avoided mention of his ethnicity for a while out of fear of being called anti-Semitic (having him be a Roma was apparently completely okay), but it was eventually confirmed that he's Jewish. In a similar note, he is also the grandfather of Wiccan.

* WordOfGod said that Wiccan of the ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'' was Jewish long before this was mentioned in passing in the actual comics. Given that his real name is Billy Kaplan, it's not exactly a surprise.
* ''ComicBook/XMen'' BigBad ComicBook/{{Magneto}} (real name Max Eisenhardt but known by an assumed name of Erik Lehnsherr) has occasionally had his ancestry cast in doubt like this. It's a well-established part of his backstory that he was in a Nazi concentration camp, but other groups were placed in those as well. Briefly, Marvel implied he was Romani or just avoided mention of his ethnicity for a while out of fear of being called anti-Semitic (having him be a Roma was apparently completely okay), but it was eventually confirmed that he's Jewish.

** The Goldstein sisters, whose last name is common among Ashkenazim. Tina has the middle name 'Esther', which is markedly Jewish, 'Queenie' has been known to be used as an English version of the Yiddish name Malke (/Hebrew, Malka), and, more obviously still, the two of them live in Manhattan in the 20s. J. K. Rowling revealed in a tweet [[https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/544946669448867841]] that (no surprise) Anthony Goldstein was Jewish, and, in another [[https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/632611629843263488]], that the Tina and Queenie are distantly related to him.

* A more remote possibility: Julian Bashir of ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''. A British man of deliberately nonspecific Middle Eastern descent, ''he'' never exhibited any stereotypically Jewish traits, but his father was very Cockney-Yiddish (played by Creator/BrianGeorge, who's playing it up a bit, but genuinely is from a family of Baghdadi Jews).

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'': The Genie uses a lot of Yiddish phrases, his supervising animator Eric Goldberg has gone on record saying he always imagined him as being Jewish, and his voice actor Creator/RobinWilliams was widely considered an "honorary Jew". Serves as a GeniusBonus, since genies in the original Arabic folklore could be of any faith, which includes Judaism.

* Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head from the ''Franchise/ToyStory'' series have to have gotten that Yiddish accent from somewhere. It also helps that both are voiced by Creator/DonRickles and Estelle Harris (who are both Jewish) respectively. However, Mr. Potato Head crosses himself in the first film. Mr. Potato Head belongs to ''Creator/{{Hasbro}}'', a company founded by a Jewish family.

** Miles Goodman, Sabrina's college housemate in Seasons 5-6. Aside from the Jewish name "Goodman", he comes from a family of accountants, mentioned an [[JewishMother overprotective mother]] who threatens him if he doesn't call, and once brings back matzo balls after visiting home.

* On ''Series/AgentCarter'', Howard Stark exhibits some typically Jewish characteristics. He grew up on the Lower East Side of New York, the son of poor immigrants, and grew up to use his brains to become a success, a typical Jewish immigrant success story. He was childhood friends with an Italian gangster. He is unwelcome in most high society circles and is disliked by the entrenched power structure (though he is often tolerated for his money). He helped Anna Jarvis escape from Europe. He isn't racist, which in the 1940s may be an indication that he's not a [[WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant WASP]]. And he calls a sauna a "shvitz".

* The main family on '' WesternAnimation/{{Birdz}}'' has the last name Storkowitz. They also have [[MouthyBird huge noses/beaks]], which are even referenced as such more than once. The show's creator (Larry Jacobs) is also Jewish, and he confirmed [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y4c2FRvWINQ that the Storkowitz family is Jewish]].

** ComicBook/HarleyQuinn, the [[ComicBook/TheJoker Joker's]] moll, always seemed vaguely Jewish with her quirky personality and [[CuteButCacophonic "fingernails-on-a-chalkboard" screechy voice]]. Then the beans were spilled in ''ComicBook/HarleyAndIvy'' when Harley was asked why she liked Christmas trees so much if she was Jewish. Later in that same story, Harley shouted "Happy Hanukkah, chump!" when attacking Batman. It was eventually revealed in the comics that Harley is half-Jewish and half-Catholic.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TuffPuppy'', one of Snaptrap's henchman, Larry, looks like a Jewish stereotype. He has a big nose, balding hair, [[JewishAndNerdy nerdy]], [[ShiksaGoddess is married to a Christian]] (Snaptrap's sister), and is always [[JewsLoveToArgue arguing]] or [[JewishComplaining complaining with Snaptrap]]. Though in one episode, Larry mentioned getting a Christmas present out of confusion.